Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz do Sul and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $949 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
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Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$949

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz do Sul and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Cruz do Sul and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Santa Cruz do Sul $949
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,519 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,519
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,089 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Santa Cruz do Sul $2,089
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Santa Cruz do Sul costs roughly 65% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz do Sul is 30% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 R$30.23

$20.63 $20.63

-71.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.87 R$182

$84.6 $84.6

-57.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 R$35.99

$12.07 $12.07

-41.18%

Cappuccino

$2.24 R$11.36

$5.48 $5.48

-59.12%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 R$6.82

$3.80 $3.80

-64.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.46

$2.47 $2.47

-64.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 R$8.82

$8.05 $8.05

-78.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R$13.70

$8.88 $8.88

-69.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 R$4.45

$1.11 $1.11

-20.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.15

$3.72 $3.72

-51.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.07

$3.37 $3.37

-58.75%

Eggs

$2.24 R$11.36

$4.32 $4.32

-48.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 R$45.45

$13.13 $13.13

-31.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 R$24.32

$14.15 $14.15

-66.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.87 R$39.91

$16.33 $16.33

-51.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.06

$4.55 $4.55

-52.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.63

$1.46 $1.46

-23.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.99

$4.71 $4.71

-74.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$7.73

$4.15 $4.15

-63.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.37

$2.58 $2.58

-51.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$2.35 $2.35

-48.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 R$4.52

$1.77 $1.77

-49.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 R$4.42

$2.14 $2.14

-59.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 R$11.80

$10.10 $10.10

-76.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.22 R$36.60

$15.19 $15.19

-52.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.91

$2.82 $2.82

-58.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R$10.11

$3.44 $3.44

-42.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.54 $1.54

-35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.92 R$248

$40.99 $40.99

19.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.91

$2.80 $2.80

-58.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.60 $1.60

-42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.79 R$39.50

$34.34 $34.34

-77.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.64

$0.94 $0.94

18.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.3K R$103.1K

$34.0K $34.0K

-40.14%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.4K R$169.4K

$26.8K $26.8K

24.85%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$86.3 R$438

$223 $223

-61.24%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.08 R$66.3

$58.9 $58.9

-77.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.04 R$117

$70.6 $70.6

-67.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.93 R$131

$57.7 $57.7

-55.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.49 R$124

$16.53 $16.53

48.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R$38.85

$14.26 $14.26

-46.28%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$288 R$1,462

$1,511 $1,511

-80.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,499 R$32.9K

$20.9K $20.9K

-68.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 R$251

$51.3 $51.3

-3.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 R$281

$44.17 $44.17

25.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 R$503

$87.0 $87.0

14.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 R$333

$104 $104

-36.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 R$2,702

$1,940 $1,940

-72.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 R$1,499

$1,316 $1,316

-77.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 R$4,697

$3,664 $3,664

-74.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 R$3,075

$2,565 $2,565

-76.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,850 R$9,380

$7,354 $7,354

-74.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 R$6,021

$3,129 $3,129

-62.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$373 R$1,889

$5,286 $5,286

-92.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

62.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 17, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz do Sul

$296 31.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 345% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz do Sul

$190 20.1%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 113% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz do Sul

$122 12.9%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 188% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz do Sul

$121 12.8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 6.2% $7.6

Eating Out

Santa Cruz do Sul

$119 12.5%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 195% $231

Getting Around

Santa Cruz do Sul

$59 6.2%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 1.2% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz do Sul

$41 4.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 109% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1319% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36.00 in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $406 per month, with Santa Cruz do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

2 h behind Santa Cruz do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,246

974,447

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz do Sul Austin, TX 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz do Sul
Austin, TX

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santa Cruz do Sul vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz do Sul wins on cost – living expenses run 184% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Cruz do Sul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1319% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $533 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $949 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 184% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Cruz do Sul runs roughly 19% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $949 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz do Sul but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz do Sul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Santa Cruz do Sul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 184% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.